Author
The rousing start given to the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), the ambitious financial inclusion programme of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has, perhaps, no parallels in the history of Indian banking system. Fifteen million new zero-balance savings accounts (against a target of 10 million) were opened on the day of its launch on August 28, thanks to the active participation of private and public sector banks all over the country. The scheme got operational in just two weeks after Modi announced it in his maiden Independence Day speech. Such a feat was accomplished through day-long camps in over 77,000 locations and participation of 20-odd chief ministers and high ranking officials.However, the real crowd puller was the scheme itself. Each account, taken as part of PMJDY, comes with a host of benefits like a RuPay debit card with a Rs 5,000 credit facility, Rs 1,00,000 accident insurance cover, and a Rs 30,000 life insurance cover to those enrolling before 26 January 2015. While there is no doubt about the intention and potential of the scheme, one cannot convincingly conclude that all the 15 million families that opened bank accounts on 28 August are first timers, or that the account opening melas in the coming months will be able to enrol only those people who have never been exposed to the formal banking system. First, the bank account opening process is so simple that there is hardly any mechanism to check duplication of enrolment. Second, there is no mechanism at this stage to verify the veracity of the declaration by the new account holders that they did not have any bank account. Since unique identification number or Aadhaar is not mandatory for opening bank accounts under the scheme and also there is no way to check bank accounts of people across banks in the country, it’s quite possible for many of the early members of PMJDY to have been enrolled earlier into the banking system. Even among the zero balance accounts opened during the financial inclusion plan of the previous government, more than half are dormant and many such account holders could well have availed of the PMJDY scheme. Modi wants all 75 million un-banked households to be made part of the financial system by 26 January 2015. Going by the initial enthusiasm, PMJDY will certainly surpass the targeted numbers by the deadline. But that would still not guarantee that all the un-banked households for which the yojana has been specifically created, are on board.Besides, financial inclusion on such a scale anytime soon may not be possible for banks due to a host of operational and logistical problems, Even if the households, statistically speaking, are included within the banking system, they could be years away from true financial inclusion. As an idea, PMJDY definitely deserves praise, but without all the hype.— Joe C. Mathew(This story was published in BW | Businessworld Issue Dated 22-09-2014)
Read More
At a shabby government health centre in the rural bastion of India's ruling Nehru-Gandhi dynasty, mothers cradling sick babies sidestep dogs sleeping in unlit corridors.There is no power, there are no nurses on duty and only two doctors - one suffering from a crippling neurological disease - trying to treat 60 to 70 patients a day in sweltering heat.Few places in India illustrate more clearly how loyalists' support for the ruling Congress party, and the Gandhi family that leads it, has been tested than Amethi, its traditional stronghold around 300 miles southeast of New Delhi.Many people in a constituency that has elected the Gandhis to parliament since 1980 feel they have been left behind and voters are getting angry, threatening family scion Rahul's bid to retain the seat when locals cast their vote on Wednesday (7 May)."We are with the Congress party, we have always been from the time of our forefathers," said Arun Sharma, a local barber. "But we are not happy. Rahul just comes and waves from his car, and goes away."Congress leaders disagree, and counter that to a large extent, Rahul's hands are tied.Uttar Pradesh, the northern state of 200 million people where Amethi is located, is run by a regional party that, while loosely allied to Congress, has ruled mainly in the interests of its low-caste supporters.The state plays a critical role in building roads and providing power, and lobbying efforts by the Gandhis to secure better amenities for Amethi have often proved ineffectual."These health centres and schools - these are the responsibility of the state government," said Rita Bahuguna Joshi, former head of the state unit of Congress and now running on a party ticket from Lucknow, capital of Uttar Pradesh."It is the non-cooperation of successive governments that has been the problem. Rahul makes every effort, but they don't implement them. They want to show him in a poor light."Nonetheless, Hindu nationalist candidate Narendra Modi senses victory in the five-week election that ends next week, and his opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is striking at the heart of the Gandhi family in a bid to weaken it.Modi, who opinion polls show is favourite to be India's next prime minister, has campaigned on a platform of economic growth while criticising what he views as state handouts by Congress that India can ill afford.He has also stepped up personal attacks on Rahul, 43, mocking him as a pampered princeling who has failed to back up talk of empowering India's poor with results."The question is are they really interested? The arrogance of the family has gone sky-high," Modi thundered to applause at an opposition rally in Amethi on Monday."You didn't ask for Mercedes cars, you didn't ask to go to America, all you asked for was drinking water, jobs for your children," he added, taking the fight to the Gandhis in their own back yard."But the mother and son couldn't be bothered," Modi said in his most direct attack yet on Rahul and his mother, head of the Congress party Sonia Gandhi.Gandhis' Mixed LegacyAdding to pressure on Rahul and Congress, the BJP has put up a well-known television actress to run against him in Amethi. In the past the opposition would tend to field weak candidates, reflecting the futility of the exercise.Now, youths wearing saffron-coloured BJP headbands roam the area on motorbikes shouting slogans in support of Modi, a rare sight in a constituency where the Congress party flag was the only one visible for years.Scattered among Amethi's wheat fields stand shuttered cement plants that Rahul's father and former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi inaugurated. Many schools lack teachers and seven out of 10 homes have no toilet.Sharma, the barber, quit his job at a factory making car windshield wipers because he was earning only 70 rupees ($1.16) a day, less than the minimum wage.Abdul Ansari, who had come to the barber shop, said his extended family had 20 children and none of them had received an education because the government school had closed.They could not afford the dozens of private schools that had opened up, some of them in garages."The children are on the streets all day, doing nothing."It is hardly an advertisement for a party that has championed the poor since Rahul's great-grandfather, Jawaharlal Nehru, led India to independence in 1947.Enter PriyankaIn an interview with the Times of India on Tuesday, Modi said that if Congress' tally dropped to below 100 seats in India's 543-seat lower house - which would be its worst ever result - the Gandhis may face a threat from their own party.Responding to the onslaught by Modi and the BJP, Congress has deployed Rahul's sister Priyanka, a natural politician in the mould of grandmother Indira, to lead a rearguard campaign in Amethi over the past two weeks.Party leaders remain reluctant to countenance the possibility of personal defeat for Rahul. Allies also say he is working hard behind the scenes to reform Congress and prepare it for future battles."Rahul is here for the long term. In fact he is operating at multiple levels," said Jairam Ramesh, a federal minister and a confidant of the family."From day one he has made it clear, in internal meetings as well as outside that, while he is fighting the 2014 election, he is also seeding the future Congress."Indian political experts also say that Congress has suffered setbacks in the past and bounced back."The Gandhi family is the glue that holds the party together, that stops the party from crumbling into factions," said Siddharth Varadarajan, former editor of The Hindu newspaper. (Reuters)
Read More
Until a few months ago, investors were not willing to touch real estate and infrastructure companies even with a barge pole. This sentiment, however, seems to be fast changing. The sector has seen significant inflows over the past six months. The exposure of foreign portfolio investors to real estate companies has gone up from Rs 13,700 crore in December 2013 to Rs 15,300 crore in May 2014. Domestic asset managers have also bumped up their investments in the realty sector from Rs 6,300 crore last July to Rs 14,200 crore currently. The BSE Realty Index has kept pace with broader indices and logged over 42 per cent gains since last year. The sector is likely to perform even better once Reserve Bank starts cutting interest rates. Therefore, it may not be a bad idea for investors to start looking for opportunities in realty sectors. The only word of caution being — stay away from heavily leveraged developers — Shailesh MenonSore Over MoreMint Road is abuzz with talk of a fifth deputy governor (DG), but it has caused heartburn. It’s not about the credentials of the person who is sought to be inducted — Nachiket Mor, a former executive director at ICICI Bank — but rather about the power structure at RBI. There has always been a “senior most” among the four DGs, but that has never meant anyone having more powers over the rest. A DG as a ‘chief operating officer’ is a new corner office. The unions on their part are worried that ‘career’ RBI officials may lose a chance to move up the ladder if just one DG is to be from the ranks even as a fifth one is added. While out-of-the-box thinking is fine, but to say that it can only come from an ‘outsider’ is pushing the envelope. Governor Raghuram Rajan will do well to encourage such thinking within the cadre as well. Who knows what pops out? — Raghu MohanStartup LoveThe Indian IT startup sector is getting attention from industry lobby groups Nasscom and iSpirit (Indian Software Product Industry Roundtable) like never before. Last year, Nasscom, the industry’s older and larger association, launched its ‘10,000 Startups’ initiative. The move was seen as a bid to shake off accusations that Nasscom represented the interests of only major IT services companies. iSpirit, set up last year, has launched ‘BootUPIndia initiative’ to reach out and support startups. While both industry associations diplomatically say they complement each other, startups appear to be enjoying all the attention. Given the challenges and difficulties that most Indian startups face, one can only say more power to anybody who enables them to succeed. — Venkatesha BabuRudderless At The HelmThe government is yet to get its act together as far as public sector undertakings (PSU) are concerned. At present, as many as 34 PSUs either do not have a chairman or have only part-time functionaries at the helm of affairs who do not take interest in the day-to-day running of their companies, leave alone strategy making. In fact, the Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB), which is tasked with recommending candidates for the post of PSU directors and chairmen, sends as many as 12 names every month to the government. However, these names seem to get stuck at the Central Vigilance Commission. If the government is indeed serious about reviving the economy, it must find a mechanism at the earliest to speed up the clearance process for the appointment of chairman and other functional directors of PSUs. How can PSUs perform better if they remain headless? — Neeraj ThakurPat Comes The NormsThe Indian Patent Office’s revised draft guidelines are a welcome move as they seek to bring Indian intellectual property rules into conformity with global standards. Besides a spate of litigations between innovator companies, generic makers and the government in recent times, there has also been an increase in the workload of Indian patent offices — they granted nearly 1,300 patents between 2011 and 2013, as against 970 between 2007 and 2011. Moreover, the Indian IP office has also been functioning as an International Search Authority and International Preliminary Examining Authority since October 2013. Still, there is a need to appoint qualified patent professionals as well as ensure speedy decision-making and more clarity on controversial sections which talks about evergreening of patents. — P.B. JayakumarThe Power Of ManyPower minister Piyush Goyal’s proposal on merging the smaller power PSUs into bigger ones deserves to be lauded. Specifically, the proposal revolves around the possibility of merging all the smaller hydro PSUs such as SJVN, THDC and NEEPCO into National Hydro Power Corporation (NHPC) and creating a mega entity. The proposal also entails transfer of NTPC’s hydro power assets to NHPC, as well as reverse transfer of over 4,000 MW of thermal assets controlled by hydro players to NTPC. The creation of mega PSU entities will allow for efficient pooling of resources and management. In the era of liberalisation, the public sector should be competing with the private sector, and not with its brethren in the public sector, as was the norm in the controlled economy. — Neeraj ThakurThe Ride To Recovery?The twin launches of the sedan Zest and the Bolt hatchback are a bold attempt by Tata Motors to boost its sagging fortunes in the domestic passenger car market. The latest offerings are, without doubt, far superior to anything that the company has made in the domestic market so far. While all domestic car manufacturers have struggled over the past two years owing to the economic lump, Tata Motors has been the worst-hit. The company has managed to sell just 6,400 cars per month on average. Analysts expect the feature-laden Zest and the Bolt to sell between 10,000 and 15,000 units per month. In case these numbers do not materialise, the company’s passenger car unit could find its troubles that started with the failure of the Nano assuming ever bigger proportions. — Sachin Dave(This story was published in BW | Businessworld Issue Dated 22-09-2014)
Read More
A day after the best economic growth figures in more than two years greeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first three months in office, the finance minister on Saturday (30 August) predicted faster growth to come.Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said he expected GDP growth higher than the 5.7 per cent it clocked in the three months until June as a series of government measures take effect.The GDP numbers were released on Friday (29 August)."With the long-term impact of all the initiatives we have taken, I am sure, the impact in the coming quarters will be much larger," Jaitley said, citing rising manufacturing orders and renewed investor interest in India.Since taking office in May, the government has loosened restrictions on foreign investment in defence, moved to reduce red tape for business and started tentative labour reforms.Speaking late on Friday, Modi said the measures had resulted in economic stability and India would "very soon" achieve "greater heights".Jaitley said inflation was on a downward trend and that he was more confident now of meeting a tough fiscal deficit target of 4.1 per cent set in the budget in July, despite having breached the target in the first four months of the year."What was then accepted as a challenge, with the first quarter (GDP) results, I think, it is something that is certainly achievable," he told reporters."My confidence today of achieving this target is much more."India's high deficit and consequent government borrowing is often cited as a constraint on growth, since it squeezes the availability of credit for private companies.Some private economists consider the deficit target optimistic, citing weak tax receipts in a sluggish economy and high federal expenditure commitments.But the finance minister said tax receipts would improve later in the year and that work on reducing subsidies that weigh on the deficit would start this year. Another finance ministry official said sales of government stakes in state-run companies would begin within three months.Jaitley said economists who cast doubt on the government's predictions should accept that India was changing for the better and look for "silver linings" rather than "gloom."(Reuters)
Read More
India is on course for a record turnout in its general election as a young electorate and women engage with politics more than ever before, with unpredictable results for a contest that opinion polls say opposition leader Narendra Modi will win. The Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies are seen as favourites to come to power when results of the five-week election are announced on May 16, displacing the Congress-led coalition that is battling public fury over a slowing economy, high inflation and a spate of corruption scandals. But regional parties will also play a key role, with most polls indicating that Modi's alliance will struggle to achieve a majority, falling short of winning 272 of the 543 seats in the lower house of parliament. "We have to be cautious. It's very hard to tell that increased turnout is good for the incumbent or bad for the incumbent," said Vivek Dehejia, an economics professor at Canada-based Carleton University. "It seems to represent people coming out to vote out the Congress-led government (but) every vote taken away from Congress does not necessarily mean it's for the BJP." The rising turnout is largely attributable to increased participation of younger and first-time voters, as well as women. These demographic groups have been targeted by the election commission with an outreach campaign since the last general election in 2009. The country has added over 23 million people in the 18-19 age group to voter rolls this time. This group now constitutes about 3 percent of total voters, against 0.75 percent in 2009. Among the first-time voters is 33-year-old Mriganka Dadwal, who feels "ashamed" to have never voted in elections after she turned 18, the minimum age required to cast vote in India. "I am proud of the fact that I realised and voted this time ... I am one of those who was very angry that why this kind of government is there," said Dadwal, who is the founder of an activist group promoting women's empowerment. In the first eight phases of the 10-phase election, 66.2 percent of registered voters exercised their right to vote, provisional data from the election commission showed. That compares with the previous best turnout of 64 percent during the 1984-85 parliamentary election, when Congress leader Rajiv Gandhi rode a sympathy wave to come to power after the assassination of his mother, then prime minister Indira Gandhi. The record is likely to be broken this year, Sanjay Kumar, director at the respected Indian polling group CSDS, told Reuters. CSDS expects a turnout of 65 percent, Kumar said. "We are looking for a very good turnout, it should be much better than before," said Akshay Rout, head of the election commission's voter education programme. "It is likely to be one of the highest." Of the 28 states and union territories that have gone to polls, 26 have recorded a higher turnout compared to the last parliamentary election, election commission data showed.(Reuters)
Read More
India's foreign exchange reserves of $320.56 billion in the week to Aug 01 are close to surpassing a record high of $320.785 billion in September 2011.Traders said RBI's intervention in the foreign exchange markets was the key reason for build up in reserves.Current reserves cover a little over eight months of imports analysts say.RBI bought a net $11.3 billion of up to one-year forwards in June, almost erasing its forward obligations.It had bought $1.8 billion in the spot market in May, latest bulletin data showed.(Reuters)
Read More
The BRICS bloc of emerging economies will have all preparatory work done for setting up its development bank by the group's summit in July, South African Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan said on Thursday (10 April).The bank Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa plan to support infrastructure projects has been slow in coming, with prolonged disagreements over its funding, management and headquarters.The group, which has struggled to take coordinated action on most issues in the past year after the scaling back of US stimulus prompted an exodus of capital from their markets, is hoping their leaders will officially launch the bank at their July meeting in Brazil."We've made very good progress on the new development bank and most of the formal documentation is ready," Gordhan told journalists after a meeting of the BRICS finance ministers in Washington."There will be a few issues left, which will be resolved between now and the middle of July when we hope the summit will take place."The start-up capital of $50 billion would eventually be built up to $100 billion. Russia has proposed that each member contributes an equal, 20 per cent share, but the share distribution is still to be decided, a BRICS source said.The bank was first proposed in 2012. The proposal was approved last year at a BRICS summit in South Africa. The group's other project, a $100 billion fund designated to steady currency markets, has also been off to a slow start, but Gordhan said progress has been made on that project, as well."On the contingency reserve arrangements, we're also almost 90 per cent of the way towards agreement. Formal documents are ready and we have the basis to reach 100 per cent agreement before the summit."Concerns Over Stalled IMF ReformsThe BRICS are also concerned that the US Congress has failed to ratify reforms to the International Monetary Fund that would double the Fund's resources and give more say to emerging markets, such as the BRICS."We've discussed our mutual concerns about the slow pace of the IMF reforms and the kind of stalemate that we find ourselves in currently and we hope work with everyone to find an equitable solution," Gordhan said."But clearly a lot depends on the US"Some officials from the Group of 20 advanced and emerging economies have suggested moving ahead on the reforms without the United States, although US approval would be necessary for any major decision to go forward because of Washington's controlling share of IMF votes.Gordhan declined to comment on what could be done, saying only that "there are a number of options being explored" that need further "cooking.""We believe it's in the collective interest of all us to have a strong and well-resourced IMF but also an IMF that is increasingly even-handed in the way it approaches both advanced economies and emerging markets as well," he said.(Reuters)tags:
Read More
The rupee is trading at 60.90/91 versus Friday's close of 61.18/19, tracking losses in the dollar compared with most other Asian currencies.The pair is seen in 60.80 to 61.20 range during the session.The Nifty is trading up 0.5 per cent and will be watched for flows.RBI policy review on Tuesday to be key for near-term cues. The central bank is expected to keep rates on hold, according to a Reuters Poll. (Reuters)
Read More
Rupee trading at 60.29/30 versus its close of 60.07/08, tracking losses in most other Asian currencies.Traders will watch February's factory output data due later in the day and consumer price inflation data next week.A Reuters poll shows the consumer inflation rate is forecast to have edged up slightly in March due to higher food prices, and factory output in February is expected to have risen at its fastest annual pace in five months.Reserve Bank of India governor ran into a wall of resistance on Thursday when he urged some counterparts in developed economies to more formally consider the effects their domestic stimulus has on emerging markets.Sensex trading weaker in early trade also weighing on rupee and will be monitored for cues on foreign fund flows.(Reuters)
Read More
The third phase of general elections was marked by Maoist violence in Chhatisgarh and Bihar on Thursday (10 April). It was also marked by an impressive 64 per cent voter turnout for the seven seats in the coluntry's capital where BJP is seeking victory riding on 'Modi wave' and AAP and Congress posing a challenge by promising good governance and development. About 71 per cent of the 2.43 crore electorate exercised their franchise in 20 Lok Sabha constituencies in Kerala, where polling passed off on a peaceful note. About 56 per cent voting was reported in the ten Lok Sabha constituencies of Vidarbha region of Maharashtra till 5 pm today. Delhi Election Commission officials said around 64 per cent of 1.27 crore eligible voters exercised their franchise till 6 pm and the polling percentage may go up as thousands of people are still queuing up in various areas of the city even after the deadline for voting ended. In 2009 Lok Sabha polls, the overall voting percentage was recorded at 52.3 per cent, which had increased to 66 per cent in the 2013 Delhi assembly election in December last year. The high-octane campaign for the polls saw BJP, AAP and Congress engaging in a close fight to win the seven seats -- considered prestigious due to political symbolism. The prominent contenders in the fray include Union Ministers Kapil Sibal and Krishna Tirath, Delhi BJP chief Harsh Vardhan, Congress' Ajay Maken, Sandeep Dikshit, Rajmohan Gandhi, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, journalist-turned- politician Ashutosh and BJP's Meenakshi Lekhi. Vice President Hamid Ansari, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, Delhi Lt Governor Najeeb Jung and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal were among the early voters. The election results is likely to set the stage for possible assembly polls in the next few months. BJP may prefer going to assembly polls early if it puts up a good show in the Lok Sabha polls. The Lok Sabha poll mandate will also reflect AAP's support base in Delhi amidst perceived disillusionment among middle-class voters who had helped the party to make a spectacular debut in assembly polls just five months ago. Congress has also tried to regain its support base through a series of initiatives in the last four months following its crushing defeat in the assembly polls in which it got just 8 seats. Bastar LS Poll: 47% Turnout Amid Firing, Explosives SeizureA low voter turnout of 47 per cent was recorded in the insurgency-hit Bastar parliamentary seat of Chhattisgarh today, amid violence by Naxals, who had called for poll boycott, leaving a police personnel injured. Naxals ambushed a team of police personnel escorting a polling party when they were returning after conclusion of polling under Gadiras police station limits of Sukma district in south Chhattisgarh, injuring a state police constable, Sukma Additional Superintendent of Police Neeraj Chandrakar told PTI. "The incident took place in the forests between Dhruwaras and Munga forests when the rebels triggered a pressure bomb blast followed by indiscriminate firing on security personnel," he said. "A police constable - Raju Alami - was injured in the blast," he said, adding, the injured was being taken out of the forest. Also, firing was reported near several polling booths and explosives were recovered from separate places in the tribal-dominated seat which went alone to polls in the first phase of parliamentary election in the state. "As per information, around 47 per cent electorate exercised their franchise in Bastar parliamentary constituency," Chief Electoral Officer Sunil Kujur said. Polling concluded at 3 PM in seven Assembly seats - Bastar, Chitrakot, Narayanpur, Bijapur, Konta, Kondagaon and Dantewada - of the region while Jagdalpur Assembly seat witnessed polling till 4 PM, he said. Voting did not take place in Polampalli polling station of Konta region of Sukma district due to fault in EVM machine, he said. A total of 26 EVMs were replaced during the electoral process in Bastar due to fault in these machines, he said. "22 Electronic Voting Machines were replaced before polling, 3 during mock poll while one after voting was started," he said. Earlier, the explosives - 15 IEDs, 10 kg each - were unearthed this morning by a joint patrol squad of Border Security Force and district force from Nelnar area of Narayanpur district. Later, owing to security reasons, the Nelnar polling booth was shifted to a nearby place Akabeda, he said. Violence Hits Bihar On Poll Day, 2 CRPF Personnel KilledMaoists detonated a landmine killing two CRPF jawans and injuring seven others before polling began today for six Lok Sabha constituencies in Bihar. The two CRPF personnel were killed and seven others injured in Haveli Kharagpur area of Munger district when they were on their way to polling stations of Jamui constituency. Deputy Superintendent of Police, Khargpur, Ranjan Kumar told PTI that the men belonging to 131 CRPF battalion were travelling in two jeeps to Tarapur in the Maoist-affected district for poll duty in the early hours when the attack took place. The Maoists first detonated an improvised explosive device and then fired on the CRPF personnel near Sawa Lakh Baba Mandir at the entrance of Bhimbandh jungle at around 5.30 am with the security personnel returning the fire. The dead CRPF personnel were head constable Ravindra Rai and constable Sone Gora, Kumar said. The seven injured were taken to the Bhagalpur hospital, from where four were flown by helicopter to Patna and admitted at a private hospital. Principal Secretary Home Amir Subhani visited the injured security men and told them that their medical expenses would be borne by the state government. A report from neighbouring Lakhisarai district quoting Superintendent of Police Manoj Kumar Singh said that the ultras bombed a government school in Narotampur which hosted CRPF personnel late last night, but there was no casualty as they had left by then. A report from Maoist-hit Gaya district quoting Senior Superintendent of Police Nishant Kumar Tiwari said that the police seized and defused six can bombs weighing 30 kg each from Banke Bazar area in Imamganj Assembly segment, a part of Aurangabad Lok Sabha seat where polling was held during the day. Maoists had earlier given a call for a poll boycott. Lok Janashakti Party President Ram Vilas Paswan's son Chirag was in the fray from the Jamui parliamentary constituency against Bihar Assembly Speaker Uday Narayan Choudhary of JD(U) and Sudhanshu Shekhar Bhaskar of RJD. Voting ended at 4 pm in many Assembly segments of the six Lok Sabha seats in Maoist-hit areas. In other areas, electors exercised franchise till the scheduled 6 pm. About 71% Cast Votes In KeralaAbout 71 per cent of the 2.43 crore electorate exercised their franchise in 20 Lok Sabha constituencies in Kerala, where polling passed off on a peaceful note. The poll fate of 269 candidates was sealed in EVMs in the state, where the fight is between ruling Congress-led UDF and opposition CPI(M)-led LDF and BJP, which is desperately trying to shed its tag of the perennial loser. Authorities had made elaborate security arrangements in all 21,424 polling stations across the state, which witnessed brisk polling right from morning. Maharashtra: 56% Polling In 10 LS Seats Till 5 PmAbout 56 per cent voting was reported in the ten Lok Sabha constituencies of Vidarbha region of Maharashtra till 5 pm today, Election Commission sources said. The percentage is likely to go up as the polling was scheduled to end at 6 pm. The constituency-wise percentages till 5 pm are as follows: Buldhana 53.86, Akola: 49.90, Amravati: 54.82, Wardha: 58.08, Ramtek: 50.00, Nagpur: 49.32, Bhandhara-gondiya: 58.60, Gadchiroli-Chimur: 61.00, Chandrapur: 55.80, Yavatmal- Washim: 49.46. Today's elections would decide the fates of former BJP chief Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister Praful Patel (NCP), former minister of State Vilas Muttemwar (Congress) and Shivajirao Moghe (Congress), among others. Amid tight security, the voting was mostly peaceful, even in the Naxal-affected Gadchiroli and parts of Bhandara and Gondia districts, authorities said. (Agencies)
Read More
